Education for a shared society
The education for a shared society department at aChord develops and implements models, training programs and pedagogical intervention tools drawing on social psychology – lesson plans, curricula, learning aids and workshops – to diagnose, develop and evaluate programs of education for a shared society. We provide initial and ongoing guidance to teams of educators, policy makers, teachers, and teachers-in-training to help promote effective, research-based activities in this area.
We work in both the formal and informal education systems, with all educational sectors and with all age groups. Our partners in this endeavor include schools, local authorities, the office for civic education and shared society at the Ministry of Education, other ministry officials, school networks, the President of Israel ("Israeli Hope" project), civil society organizations, the Israel Association of Community Centers, youth movements, and others.
חינוך בזמן הסלמה או מלחמה
לאור המצב, פתחנו במחלקת חינוך עמוד מיוחד עם כל הכלים ותוצרי מחלקת חינוך בנוגע לחינוך לחיים משותפים בזמן הסלמה או מלחמה.
The Ideal Graduate Model in Education for a Shared Society
One of the greatest challenges in education for a shared society is arriving at a clear, succinct definition of the educational objective, in terms of a description of the ideal graduate.
The ideal graduate model in education for a shared society we developed at aChord, together with the President, the Lautman Foundation and the Ministry of Education, offers an answer to the most basic question: What would the ideal graduate look like upon completing a successfully operated program of education for a shared society? The model enables us to derive concrete content for training, measurement, educational objectives and work plans in the field of education for a shared society. On this foundation, we develop educational programs and processes and provide guidance for their optimal implementation, with the goal of fostering a shared society and equal, tolerant and respectful relations between different groups.
The ideal graduate model has facilitated our development of the Index for Shared Society Progress in Youth (ISSPY). This index maps the entire spectrum of psychological barriers and opportunities for promoting optimal relations between groups and creating intergroup partnership among young people from the four educational sectors in Israel — secular, religious, ultra-orthodox and Arab.
For a full description of the ideal graduate model, go here.
Professional development and teacher training
Various studies and accumulated experience show that although many teachers perceive education for a shared life as an important topic for students, in practice they do not teach it in a systematic and structured manner. A major reason for this gap is the lack of tools to deal with the subject, which involves explosive and controversial issues. Working to meet this need, aChord in recent years has developed a psychosocial basis of knowledge, training tools and pedagogy adapted to the multiple cultures and inter-group tensions that characterize Israeli society. We have developed diverse models for professional development while creating a network of connections and partnerships with various parties in the education system. Resting on these foundations, we guide and train educators in various positions and educational streams to work with research-based psychosocial tools and practices to effectively promote education for shared life in schools and classrooms.
Consulting to education organizations
Many social and education organizations in Israel work directly or indirectly on the issue of intergroup relations and a shared society. aChord accompanies various education organizations and advises them on increasing their impact in education for a shared society. The consulting process utilizes research and tools from the realm of social psychology and generally includes a psychosocial diagnosis, training tailored to the educational and psychological goals of the organization, development of research-based solutions and interventions, and accompanying their integration into the organization’s work.
Working with local government
The education team at aChord works with local authorities to build a municipal model for promoting education for a shared society. Working at the municipal level allows building an inclusive, multi-age and multi-channel educational process capable of broadly influencing the perceptions and attitudes of educators and students vis-a-vis other groups in society. This approach allows aChord to tailor its tools to align with the character and needs of the particular locality and formulate a long-term process of advising, training and intervention. In this manner, the local education system consistently and systematically encounters educational content and tools based on social psychology, in a way that can influence student perceptions, attitudes and behaviors to become more equal, inclusive and tolerant.
Selected Projects
Israeli Hope for Partnership Education
Israeli Hope for Education for Partnership is a system-wide initiative intended to professionalize and expand a research-based infrastructure promoting education for partnership between different groups in Israeli society, and to make it accessible for schools. Several partners cooperated to develop and implement the program: the State President, the Ministry of Education, the Lautman Forum and the aChord Center, which led professional development.
As part of this process at aChord, we developed various educational programs and tools to promote a shared life, such as: pedagogy kits to promote the perception of heterogeneity in Arab society and in ultra-Orthodox society; an innovative model for intergroup encounters aiming for joint activity to advance equality; development of school leadership that promotes norms of tolerant behavior, and so on. Today these tools serve the schools that participated in the project, and they are central products of aChord’s Education Department.
Teacher Communities Promoting Education for a Shared Society and Preventing Racism
The Teacher Community for Education for a Shared Society is a model for professional development for teachers that combines knowledge and practices from the area of intergroup relations with practical methods and tools for use in the classroom. Learning in the teacher community takes place in a group of diverse educators who deal with current social issues regarding education for a shared life. The Teacher Communities project is led by the Office of Education for a Shared Life at the Ministry of Education; aChord is a partner in the initiative and is responsible for facilitating the teacher communities. Additional partners in the initiative include Professional Communities R&D, Lautman Foundation, and the Vilnai Family.
Index for Shared Society Progress in Youth (ISSPY)
The Index for Shared Society Progress in Youth in Israel identifies the psychological barriers and opportunities for promoting beneficial intergroup relations and partnership among teenagers from the four public educational sectors in the country – the general (secular Jewish) sector, the religious sector, the ultra-Orthodox sector, and the Arab sector. The Index was developed by aChord and is based on the Ideal Graduate Model – Israel Hope and our knowledge and experience in the social psychology of intergroup relations. The Index maps perceptions, feelings, attitudes and behaviors among young people in Israel toward intergroup partnership.
The ISSPY is intended to enable decision makers on various levels – from the national education system to the school teacher – and anyone promoting the improvement of intergroup relations in Israel, to be acquainted with the attitudes, feelings, and perceptions among young people regarding intergroup relations in Israel. The Index forms a basis for developing and executing programs that effectively promote intergroup partnership. The Index also facilitates creation of a rich shared professional lexicon in the field of education for a shared society, as a foundation for action in the field. In the annual report on the ISSPY, we present aChord’s recommendations for relevant and significant directions of action that can leverage and improve the partnership education efforts undertaken in the field.
Education Staff
Ellen Lev Shalem
Leader, Professional Development and Teacher Training Process
Lima Abusalah
Facilitator, Teacher Communities, Education for Partnership
